Energy Star, Google and Facebook will Help to Boost Wireless Power to $15.6bn by 2020, Pike Says

The market for wireless power systems – encompassing mobile devices, consumer electronics, industrial applications, infrastructure devices and electric vehicles – will triple over the next eight years, growing from $4.9 billion in revenue in 2012 to $15.6 billion in 2020, according to a report by Pike Research.

The report says the growing market will get a push from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Power Matters Alliance (PMA), an alliance of governmental organizations and companies including National Grid, Google and Facebook that want to remake power to be wireless, smart and environmentally sound. Duracell, General Motors, Microsemi, Procter & Gamble, EMerge Alliance, the FCC, Powermat Technologies and Sony Pictures Technologies, and energy efficiency programs from the EPA’s Energy Star program, will accelerate wireless power’s delivery, according to Pike.

In May, Samsung and Qualcomm joined other technology leaders – Ever Win International, Gill Industries, Peiker Acustic, Powermat Technologies and SK Telecom — to form the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), promoting a global standardization of a wireless power transfer technology.

While North America is the largest market for wireless power today by a wide margin, it will be surpassed by mid-decade by the Asia Pacific region. Wireless power revenue in Asia Pacific will reach $6 billion in 2020, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts, representing 40 percent of the worldwide market. By application, the largest sector for wireless power in 2020 will still be mobile devices, with 36 percent of total revenue.

While wireless power charging and transmission isn’t “inherently green,” the report says wireless power has the potential to reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste by reducing the number of cords, adapters and wall outlets produced, shipped and disposed of.

Wireless charging enables EV adoption, and Pike says that in-garage wireless power stations, which will become available over the next few years, will accelerate the EV market.

Additionally, if long-distance grids are built using wireless power transmission, Pike predicts they could reduce GHG emissions by eliminating copper-wire transmission grids and transporting power from wind and solar farms. These grids could also replace diesel generators and other carbon-intensive electricity sources.

Either Pike needs to be more research or the author decided to omit key info from this article. There is already a standard for wireless power established by the Wireless Power Consortium and has support of more than 100 companies. Starting another standard (A4WP…) to do the same thing seems counter productive for the consumer…..I would rather see all these companies get behind the WPC and figure out a way for everyone to make money so the consumer benefits.